It was grace, calculated and refined that the scarred brute stalked his prey with. He was hungry, a target already chosen and unknowingly stalked from the shadows. What the laws of survival had offered him tonight was the form of a sleek deer, grazing passively along under the moon’s glow. Silly thing. Silent as a wraith, Caedes closed the distance between himself and his quarry, muscles coiled beneath his fur as he prepared to strike. With a sudden burst of speed, he launched himself forward, closing the distance rapidly - precise in his manner of attack. Lunging, his powerful jaws snapped shut around the deer's throat. A brief struggle ensued, but the deer soon lay still, its lifeblood staining the ground as well as the brute’s chest and chin.

Yet, victory was short-lived.

As Caedes lifted his head, a light pant escaping him, the air was rent with the chilling yips and howls of a pack of coyotes. Six of them emerged from the shadows, their eyes gleaming with hunger and malice, their mottled coats blending seamlessly with the darkness. Immediately, Caedes's lip curled in a snarl as he assessed his situation. Though smaller than him individually, the coyotes possessed a cunning that made them dangerous in numbers. Maybe not enough to kill him, but the thought of such small, weak little things marring up his hide more was… infuriating. Caedes was not one to back down from a challenge, especially not in the face of their overconfident one.

The largest of the coyotes, a mangy brute with a scarred ear, stepped forward, baring his teeth in a mocking grin. Caedes's gaze hardened, his hackles rising in defiance, his eyes blazing with anger. That one was first. He knew that the coyotes would not let him leave without a fight, and if they wanted his catch, he was more than willing to give them a reason to remember where they were on the food chain. Without a word, Caedes lunged at the leader of the pack, his jaws snapping shut inches from the coyote's face as it dodged, another coyote coming to nip at the massive brute’s side. A pest.

"speaking"

Every man needs his monsters. Man, woman, whatever. Don't let the allegory fall flat, just focus on the fact that Jael and coyotes aren't necessarily friends. She can't think too much about it, she can't think about how like them they are. Jael knows better than to think about it too carefully, only to lower her head and keep her guard up. Fuck, she can smell them out here.

Smell them, hear them too. High alert. A chill in her spine, fuck. Not just one, not just a couple-- too many. Not the only wolf (sort-of-wolf) out here tonight, Jael sees the man faced down with not just one coyote. The same one that had bailed her out of the whole hawk incident, as she takes stock of the situation. No fewer than six sets of eyes blinking back at them in the low light.

Mutual aid and survival. Jael knows it all too well, and she's not going to turn her back on this one. The girl's movements are quick, and she keeps low to the ground as she moves. Two coyotes to the man's rear, something she notices from high ground. Barreling for their ankles, teeth gnashing and clacking, Jael herds them off. Her teeth making contact with the coyote's hock, she's quick to grab hold. It's the only in she needs, throwing herself into full blown combat with the beast.

J A E L

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As the girl sprang into action, Caedes only inwardly acknowledged her. He hadn't asked for her help, and he certainly didn't need it. But there she was, meddling in his affairs. It wasn’t particularly bothersome, so he gave it no more thought than necessary.

With a snarl, Caedes focused his attention back on the pack of coyotes, his emerald eyes narrowing with disdain. They were nothing more than pests, scavengers looking for an easy meal. But Caedes was no easy prey, and he had no intention of letting them get the better of him. Caedes lunged at the next nearest coyote(the pest at his side), his teeth snapping, moving with ruthless efficiency, striking out at the coyote with deadly precision. He flung it away, hearing a yelp as it collided with a tree and scrabbled at the ground with its fores, the hind legs unmoving and limp.

Caedes couldn't deny that the girl’s interference had provided him with an opportunity. While she distracted the coyotes, he could focus on dispatching the rest of the pack that had targeted him with minimal effort. With a savage snarl, Caedes launched himself again, his jaws closing around a throat with a sickening crunch. The coyote let out a strangled yelp before falling limp at his feet, its blood staining the forest floor.

"speaking"

Keen gaze on the predators-- they're no different than the prey. Herding instincts kicking in and hitting overdrive, keen and bright. Jael keeps the large man in her periphery, carefully dialed in. He's far larger, takes up more space, moves differently than the vermin that try to circle. The hock of the first coyote in her mouth, she sinks her weight back, yanks. Coyote yelping and squirming in her jaws, it's the only opening she needs.

Claws digging in hard against the soft earth, forcing herself forward. Practiced, fluid movements, as she goes right for the creature's neck. The perfect application of torque, of force, and-- there it went. Crumpled and limp, neck broken. Jael moves onto the second creature that had been on the flank, expression fierce and burning.

With a snarl, she drives the thing back. This-- this is fun. A real cat and mouse game for the girl as she drives it purposefully through the roots. Allowing it to scramble, just a bit more and... ah. This coyote, too, stumbled. Jael leaps upon the beast, vicious. Her attention locked into the thing as it retaliates.

The predator's teeth find purchase at the spot her foreleg meets the rest of her body, and Jael yelps. Recoiling, but not letting up. Fuckers, they'd all pay for it. A yelp of her own, but Jael is relentless.

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As the dust settled, Caedes found himself facing off against two more coyotes, their eyes gleaming with hunger and aggression. Caedes remained alert, his senses heightened as he prepared to engage in yet another battle. He was being careful about his movements, making sure they were concise – never wasting more energy than necessary. One coyote lunged forward with a snarl, its jaws snapping shut just inches from Caedes's throat. With lightning reflexes, Caedes twisted away from the attack, his fur bristling with fury. He retaliated with a swift swipe of his massive paw, claws extended like razor-sharp talons, carving through the air with lethal aim. The coyote recoiled, its snarl turning to a whimper as it felt the sting of Caedes's claws against its flank. But it was not deterred, quickly regaining its footing and circling around for another attempt. Caedes bared his teeth in challenge, his emerald eyes locked onto his adversary with unwavering focus. They would not tire him out. Their tactics were known to him, and they would be dealt with shortly.

Meanwhile, the second coyote seized the opportunity to strike, darting in from the side with surprising speed. Caedes barely had time to react as the creature sank its teeth into his hind leg, eliciting a low growl of pain from deep within his chest. With a swift shake of his massive frame, Caedes dislodged the coyote, sending it tumbling back with a yelp of surprise. They were so inconsequential.

But relentless, their attacks came fast and furious as they sought to wear down their larger opponent.  Snarling, Caedes launched himself at the first coyote as he saw an opening, his jaws snapping shut around its throat with bone-crushing force. The coyote let out a strangled cry as Caedes shook it violently, the taste of blood filling his mouth as he dutifully maintained his grip. Then as he dropped its body to the ground, Caedes turned his attention to the second, his eyes burning with intense hate. With a low growl, he advanced on the creature, his movements fluid and controlled as he prepared to deliver the final blow.

It was fast, too fast how he grasped it by its throat, shaking, and shaking. Until it lay defeated and broken before him. Breathing heavily, he cast an indifferent glance over his shoulder to see what the girl had made of herself before allowing himself a moment of respite.

"speaking"

Righting herself, digging in, pressing forward. Jael's pulse is rapid, and so is her assault. A snarl, and something even more haunting-- sounds that only come from dogs doing their worst. Maybe she's at her worst in this moment, but that's okay. Jael isn't prey. The coyotes stand taller than she does, but they wouldn't be more clever. Monsters. Monsters.

Teeth. She's all teeth. Sinking into the coyote's flesh, all the savagery in her set free. There were things she'd been feeling, things that she doesn't understand or know how to cope with. Was this helping? It's not hurting. It's not hurting to allow the aggression, to allow the reactivity to grip her system.

Jael is covered in gore by the time she stumbles backwards. Face, chest, forelegs. Bleeding from the wound that circles her foreleg, that threatens the shallow point of her chest. How much of the blood was hers? Some. More of it, the coyote. Gore clinging to her pelt, taking a step back... still panting. It's only now that she's struck by it. The larger of the two coyotes is bigger than Jael. Fuck.

No more yipping. No more grumbling, scrambling, snarling. Still panting, Jael carefully moved back into the large man's line of sight. He looked whole, or as whole as he had when they started. Opal gaze only rests on him for a moment, carefully raking the woods around them. Every shadow could be a hiding place, Jael knows as well as any. Head still low, an anxious lick of her lips. Hard not to be nervous out here.

J A E L

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